Voyage from Europe to Boston
Maximilian’s expedition began with a 48-day voyage from Europe to America. Maximilian, Bodmer, and Driedoppel departed from the Dutch port of Helvoet on the brig Janus. Always at the mercy of the weather, the sail-powered ship was frequently subjected to violent storms, then becalmed by windless days.
May 11, 1832
To Amsterdam. To the right, the Haarlemmermeer. Amsterdam large, imposing city. The harbor, het Y, with many ships. We stop at the Oude Doelen. Inspection of the shipyards. Three ships of the line and several smaller ships. The Jupiter with eighty-four cannon (the largest three-decker ever built here) is to be launched in six weeks. Sepulchral church with the monuments of Admiral Ruyter, Kinsbergen, Van Speyk. Burials still take place in all these churches. Royal palace (formally city hall), beautifully furnished. Beautiful hall, high but narrow, with trophies captured from the Spaniards in naval battles. Long-drawn-out examination of the passports. In the afternoon my brothers leave for Nimwegen. Evening in the French theater; several good acteurs.